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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · pitcher · plane · dip · rock · cold · clip · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cold — not warm
  3. clip — a video
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cold — an illness
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rock — music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. tube — a container
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pitch — completely
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com